


all the time we need

by rivalmatisse



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, also its not important in this fic but both link and zelda are trans. thank you :), something of an existential crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 10:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23350054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivalmatisse/pseuds/rivalmatisse
Summary: A month after the fall of the Calamity, and Link is trying to figure out who the Hell he is.He can't find an answer just yet, though.And that's just fine.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	all the time we need

**Author's Note:**

> HEY so i wrote this a couple of weeks ago and now i'm deciding to post it!!!  
> I only recently got into botw (after only recently getting back into loz after i rediscovered spirit tracks) so this is kind of a figuring out how to write Botw!Link and Zelda, since i'm generally more confident writing their spirit tracks incarnations (as that's the loz game i'm most familiar with)  
> this is literally the first botw thing i wrote so i'm very sorry if any details are wrong or anyone is ooc
> 
> anyway!!!!!! i hope you enjoy!

_ “Open your eyes.” _

Though he had technically only heard those words once before, they had been bouncing around inside his head every time he took a moment to himself to rest. 

It wasn’t Zelda’s fault, and he knew that. Back then it had been time for him to awaken after a century of slumber, but the desperation he felt in his heart and in the people around him made it only harder for him to catch a moment to breathe or sleep. Once or twice he’d stayed at an inn, or in a stable, but he’d more frequently find himself waking up on the side of a hill, after evidently passing out from exhaustion and somehow not having died while he was out. 

If anything, that had at least proven to him that luck  _ had  _ been on his side that time around. 

Though, even now that it was over, he still felt an air of guilt envelop him any moment he chose to rest. 

And he had to keep reminding himself that it  _ was  _ over. 

That everything was said and done- the Champions’ spirits were free, Zelda was free, Ganon was gone, and nobody was in danger any more. 

And… his destiny, his moment, everything his life a century ago and his life now had all been leading to…

That was over as well.

He had no idea what he was meant to become now. 

And history was no help- he knew that- he’d spent hours poring over books about the Heros of Old, but they were all useless. They detailed their upbringing, their journey, their battle with whatever or whoever, and that was it. There was never any mention of what they did after  _ their  _ Hyrule’s great evil had been vanquished. 

It was left to presume. The Hero of Winds kept doing pirate things, the Lokomo’s Chosen split his time between being an engineer and a soldier, etcetera etcetera, their story had finished and they had all seemingly been happy with it. 

He couldn’t help but feel a stab of bitter jealousy towards his long dead namesakes- the majority of them had at least had lives before they’d been pushed into a journey, but… 

While he hadn’t completely recovered from the amnesia his one hundred year long power nap had induced, he knew enough to be aware that his battle for Hyrule had been one he’d trained for since he knew how to walk. Possibly even before then.

_ “Link.”  _

And he felt guilty for feeling confused and for feeling angry and for feeling jealous and sad and a million different things at once. It was over and he should be grateful- he had the rest of his life ahead of him, and he had at least one piece of his old life with him.

He at least had Zelda.

And he had new friends and mentors who he’d met along his journey. Prince Sidon, and Teba, and Kass, and Yunobo, and Riju, and Paya, and countless others he’d helped and who had helped him back then and would probably help him now.

He could lie in bed and think for hours on end, and pretend that he knew what he was doing (not that he had known before, outside of his given goal of Defeat the Biggest Evil Thing in the History of Forever). Did he enjoy farming? Cooking? Stargazing? He was by no means a scholar or a poet or anything dignified- he’d spent the majority of the last year throwing Sheikah bombs into rivers because he couldn’t be bothered to make a fishing rod and  _ wait  _ like anybody else- so what  _ did  _ he enjoy doing?

_ “Link!”  _

Should he try something completely new? Sewing perhaps? Or learn how to make jewellery- he  _ did  _ like those handmade earrings he’d bought in the Gerudo’s Town- maybe he could learn how to make pottery… Though he had an odd feeling that wouldn’t end well.

Maybe he should just stick to what he knew- sword fighting and using his shield to snowboard down mountains. 

Maybe he should just fade into obscurity like all those other heros did. 

Maybe that would be for the best.

But it still left the question,

_ “What are you even doing up there?”  _

And it was overstated inside his head that he had truly no clue.

And he didn't have any more time to dwell on it, as a cushion hit his head.

“Oh, sorry! I was aiming for your stomach!” 

Link sits up and shoots Zelda a withering look, before cracking a smile and chucking the cushion back at her.

She catches it, holds it to her chest and says, “Were you sleeping?” 

“Nah; thinking.” Link responds with a yawn.  


“Oh. Well, you can think and walk at the same time, right?” 

“Debatable.” 

“You defeated an unspeakable evil just a month ago; how hard can a little multitasking be?”

“As if I’ve ever had a single comprehensible thought.” 

Zelda opens her mouth, maybe to retort. But then she shuts it again, and screws up her nose as though she’s suddenly the one deep in thought. Link waits for her to speak again, noticing that she, like he has, has discarded the royal Champion blue shirt for something more neutral, something that can maybe distance them both from… everything. 

“I believe you must have had at least one thought during your lifespan.”

“Not sure.” Link shrugs, and stands- raising his arms above his head into a massive stretch, “I’ll get back to you if I ever do.”

“Right. Did you sleep- no, sorry, think- in your clothes?” 

“Yeah.”

“Want to change?”

“Can’t be bothered.” 

“Link.”

“Zelda.”

She does it again- opens her mouth to speak, but then stops, and a massive smile spreads across her face.

“What?” 

“You called me Zelda.” 

“It’s your name; I’d assume I should be calling you by it.” Link raises an eyebrow, “I can call you something else if you’d like- there’s _plenty_ of great names out there-”

“No, you brainless dork, you called me Zelda! Not Princess or Your Highness or any such nonsense.” She exclaims, and steps forward to push him lightly, “I’ve been asking you to avoid titles like that all month!”   
  
“Oh. Well, in my defense I  _ am  _ tired.” 

“Oh, don’t you dare start calling me those things now!” she snaps, though there’s a playful twinkle in her eyes, “After everything, I feel it would be most inappropriate for you- or anyone, really- to call me those things.”

“And I feel it’s most inappropriate for you to break into my house.” 

“You’re the fool who gave me a key.” 

“In my defense, I’ve been tired for the last  _ century _ .”

“You were  _ asleep  _ for the last century.” 

“My point still stands.” 

“Well, get some more rest, then.” Zelda shakes her head, but she’s still smiling, “Our trip can wait an extra day or so.” 

Link hesitates, “Are you sure?” 

“Of course I am!” she folds her arms, “We have all the time in the world to do whatever we want! So if you want to sleep in; go for it! I’m going to go read every single book in Hateno’s library while you do!” 

Link can’t hold back a short laugh.

“I thought you’d already done that.” 

“Not quite. Besides, I believe they might have gotten some new releases in the past hundred years, so I have some catching up to do!” she pauses, and adds to herself, “I never  _ did  _ finish that one on the brewing of old potions…”

He soon bids Zelda a friendly farewell, after she essentially forces him to promise he’ll actually get some sleep.

Link lies back down, his mind still buzzing, but now it’s less of a loud angry noise, and more a gentle one. 

Zelda is right, as always; now that their time as heroes is seemingly over, they can take all the time they need to figure out what comes next. 

And so Link lets out a heavy sigh, rolls onto his side, and he lets his thoughts dissipate from his mind.

And he closes his eyes.


End file.
